DROUGHT: Zimbabwe Approves Mass Slaughter of 200 Elephants, Over 700 Other Animals Amid Mass Hunger
Amid Raging Experience of Acute Drought, food insecurity and the incessant killing of innocent citizens by wildlife, Zimbabwean authorities have approved the mass slaughter of 200 Elephants, in addition to over 700 other wildlife to be donated to the country by Namibia.
By:Israel Adeleke
Zimbabwean authorities have approved the slaughter of about 200 elephants to feed citizens amid lingering food insecurity caused by severe drought.
The Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism also announced the ministry willingness to contribute 723 animals comprising 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeests, 300 zebras, 83 elephants and 100 elands to support the draught relief programme by the government.
The spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority, Tinashe Farawo, who confirmed the planned culling of 200 elephants to feed citizens amid acute drought, told CNN that the animals are causing a lot of havoc in communities, killing people.
He said “We are targeting to cull 200 elephants,” lamenting rising cases of elephant-human conflict amid the drought in the East African country.
He explained, “Last week, we lost a woman in the northern part of the country who was killed by an elephant. The previous week, the same thing happened. So it (the culling) is also a way of controlling.”
According to local media, this year, over 30 persons have been killed in different wildlife-human conflicts in Zimbabwe.
Furthermore, United Nations, (UN) estimated over seven million to be at risk of acute hunger in Zimbabwe, declaring the East African country “as one of the hunger hotspots.”
The UN said in a statement in early August “A new report from the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) reveals that food insecurity levels in Zimbabwe are rapidly deteriorating after it was hit with historic droughts due to the El Niño weather pattern."
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News gathered that, Zimbabwe’s planned culling of elephants comes weeks after the Namibian government adopted the same measure to tackle potential food insecurity and potential wildlife-human conflict as drought bites harder.
Meanwhile, a statement by the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced the approval of game meat to support the drought relief programme by the government.
It added, “The Ministry will contribute 723 animals comprising 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeests, 300 zebras, 83 elephants and 100 elands.”
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